1
as in surrendered
to give (something) over to the control or possession of another usually under duress
the boy reluctantly relinquished the illegal fireworks to the police officer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in resigned
to give up (as a position of authority) formally
the retiring CEO relinquished his position to the company's vice president with very mixed feelings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of relinquished
Min Aung Hlaing, who had attained the rank of senior general, last week relinquished his post of commander-in-chief because the constitution prohibits the president from simultaneously holding the top military position.
—
ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
The Nuggets never relinquished that lead.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 7 Apr. 2026
The Fleet allowed a third-worst 76 goals last season and have only relinquished 36 so far.
—Jason Cooke, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
Simmons was set to be Ole Miss’ starter in 2025, but an early-season ankle injury derailed that, and Trinidad Chambliss took over and never relinquished the job.
—Sam Khan Jr, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
But by the time families won their cases, Schwartz had relinquished or sold his Arkansas facilities, leaving no clear assets for lawyers to pursue.
—Jeremy Kohler, ProPublica, 30 Mar. 2026
Kentucky opened the game’s scoring, but the Longhorns responded with a 15-0 first-quarter scoring run and never relinquished the lead.
—Myah Taylor, Dallas Morning News, 28 Mar. 2026
The chance to play in a hometown regional became a possibility last summer when UH relinquished its role as host school for the South Region, one of four regional sites for the NCAA Tournament.
—Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle, 21 Mar. 2026
Microsoft relinquished its right to be OpenAI’s exclusive cloud provider, but retained a clause that requires all of OpenAI’s API calls, or calls to access its AI models, to be routed through Azure, the reporting noted.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 19 Mar. 2026
ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
The Nuggets never relinquished that lead.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 7 Apr. 2026
The Fleet allowed a third-worst 76 goals last season and have only relinquished 36 so far.
—Jason Cooke, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
Simmons was set to be Ole Miss’ starter in 2025, but an early-season ankle injury derailed that, and Trinidad Chambliss took over and never relinquished the job.
—Sam Khan Jr, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
But by the time families won their cases, Schwartz had relinquished or sold his Arkansas facilities, leaving no clear assets for lawyers to pursue.
—Jeremy Kohler, ProPublica, 30 Mar. 2026
Kentucky opened the game’s scoring, but the Longhorns responded with a 15-0 first-quarter scoring run and never relinquished the lead.
—Myah Taylor, Dallas Morning News, 28 Mar. 2026
The chance to play in a hometown regional became a possibility last summer when UH relinquished its role as host school for the South Region, one of four regional sites for the NCAA Tournament.
—Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle, 21 Mar. 2026
Microsoft relinquished its right to be OpenAI’s exclusive cloud provider, but retained a clause that requires all of OpenAI’s API calls, or calls to access its AI models, to be routed through Azure, the reporting noted.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relinquished
Verb
-
Since when in 250 years has America surrendered democracy to one person, putting aside the law and the Constitution?—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Chase Dollander surrendered one run on four hits in 4 1/3 innings for Colorado after Jimmy Herget opened with a 1-2-3 first.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Several of Swalwell's campaign staffers have resigned, including strategic advisor Courtni Pugh, according to Politico.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
-
But Haynes resigned from the position three months into the job.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Or the mood might call for ripping into smoky lamb shoulder, rubbed with baharat (Lebanese seven spice) and rendered to a consistency somewhere wonderfully between melty and ropy.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
-
What’s heightening the crisis is that stopgaps typically used to offset supply shocks have been rendered moot.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
On March 28 Charles Albert abdicated after the decisive defeat at Novara.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Responsibility cannot be lost; it can only be abdicated.—
Rich Harwood,
Twin Cities,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Tatum delivered a few moments of vintage excellence in the opening minutes, turning a steal into a transition lay-up for his first basket, then using a spin move to finish through contact for his second.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Nico Hoerner hit a leadoff homer and then delivered an RBI double during a five-run fifth inning as the Chicago Cubs beat the sloppy Tampa Bay Rays 6-2 on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
President Ahmed al-Sharaa is a one-time al-Qaeda commander who renounced the ideology before taking power.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
11 Apr. 2026
-
If an ancestor renounced citizenship, rights to Canadian citizenship end there.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
National space agencies like NASA and Roscosmos appear to have ceded all ground to Helios and Kuragin.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Having already ceded an even-strength tally and a man-advantage marker, the Ducks collected the entire set of goals against by allowing one shorthanded.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Relinquished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relinquished. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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